Wishful Thinking, Realistic Nightmare
by Ravan Pyreloft
Summary: After a harsh prank played on Luigi, preying on his cowardly nature, he finds himself wishing desperately to not be a coward anymore; However, when a beautiful maiden grants him that wish...he finds out you need to be careful what you wish for.
1. The breaking point

Wishful Thinking, Realistic Nightmares

Note: I am not typing the Italian accent into my writing; I personally find that doing such can get quite tiresome to type and read. So please do not comment how they do not sound as they would probably and speak. This fanfic is also set in a more mature setting than usual Mario games.

Luigi raced through the hallways, it had been seconds since he heard the blood-chilling screams from Princess Peach fill the hallways and suddenly there were no Toads to be found either. That thought shook his courage when he realized that he was alone in the castle, dashing down the spiral stairs.

The face of Bowser made Luigi jump as he stumbled back and crashed onto the stairs again, his body paralyzed in fear for a moment; the sound of his chattering teeth filled the air for a moment. He wanted to stand, but his shaken legs prevented him from doing so. Bowser's glaring eyes stared a whole right through him for though him before his nerves calmed down enough for him to realize that what was staring at him was just a painting of the Koopa King.

Standing up slowly, Luigi picked up his hat and dusted it off carefully; his shaking hands made it very difficult for him to place the hat perfectly on his head. Swallowing hard he tip-toed passed the frightening painting and opened the door so he could escape those frozen pupils.

Luigi suddenly became acutely aware to how deathly silent the castle was, there were no screams and not even the sound of chaos could be heard. It had been weeks since Bowser had been active and now everything that was happening now only made Luigi timid at what was happening now. When he looked around, the door that he walked out of fell closed and made the green plumber jump out of his skin as he jumped slightly in the air and he staggered to the side and grasped the wall for support; looking behind him, Luigi came to the realization that it was just the closing door. The damage was already done however, the shaken nerves from the door slamming shut would linger.

With frightened eyes, the one with the green hat walked through the castle carefully. If there was even the sound of chaos and conflict in the distance than he knew he would be able to at least feel any adrenaline and rush to the sight if he knew that Mario was fighting somewhere close by. When he managed to get to the castle greeting hall, the sight that waited him actually made him freeze in his socks at that single moment…blood and it was spilled over the already bright red carpets and hard, smooth floors. Slowly, Luigi walked down the stairs and looked down at the blood at his feet; reaching out with the tip of his foot he touched the edge of the red puddle lightly before pulling back like his toe got seared with flame.

The blood trail led from the middle of the room and made a dragged trail to one of the rooms off to the side; whoever's body was dragged, led to one of the conference rooms. Luigi looked to the front door and back to the conference room door; contemplating which action he should take—fight or flight. His shaking knees, tense jaw, timid eyes and near frozen body told him to run out of the castle and get to safety…but one part of him, the piece of hero that was deep inside him told him to force himself to confront what sights could await him.

Luigi breathed out slowly before turning to his side and starting his walk towards the door from which the blood trail disappeared behind. He knew he would regret this choice but there was no going back now. Walking up to the door, Luigi looked down at the blood trail and then looked to the blood-smeared doorknob. Luigi's mind panicked at what could be behind this door, with a trembling hand he took the door knob and tried to give it a twist, only to have his hand slip from the golden surface; looking to his hand, he almost felt ill as the red substance soaked into his white gloves. That moment he actually wanted to run out of the castle screaming and yet somehow, be it through fear or courage, he kept his feet planted.

Off like a band-aid, that is how Luigi was going to do it. He would just get it over it, open the door and just step right in. The only flaw about that was that he was thinking about it too much now, he just had to do it with little thought. Breathing out, Luigi shivered once and then stared forward and grabbed the doorknob and just twisted the doorknob aggressively, pushing the door open he stepped right in.

Nothing would prepare him for the thing waiting for him in the otherwise dark room. The only thing to lit up the darkness was flaming embers that erupted from the razor-sharp teeth that this creature had, glowing beating, ruby-red eyes burned through a hole into Luigi's soul as he felt his knees buckle and he crashed with a loud thump onto the ground, his feet desperately kicked back so he could escape the same fate that fell upon those in the kingdom. The feeling of cold, solid wall greeted his back, his fear caused him to miss the door as he now found himself cornered…helpless.

He could not help but find tears clouding his eyes, realizing this was how it was going to end. His fear stricken mind was making him insane and he knew it, because all he could hear was the cheerful laughter from his brother Mario, Peach, Daisy and even the Toads. Such pleasant memories would be the last thing he could embrace along with his fears that brought the tears to drop down his cheek.

The lights turned on suddenly, making Luigi shut his eyes tight as the laughter continued; when he managed to open his eyes he saw everyone in the room and they were all laughing, the creature which he saw was headless, Mario held onto a cord that allowed the thing to breath fire.

It was a joke…a prank.

Shivering still, Luigi battled the remaining trauma from his fear as he watched Mario walk over, grabbing him by his arm and slapping him over the shoulder. The remaining fear however, was slowly stirring into an irritation that the people around him would pull such a cruel prank on him and then laugh at him to top it off.

This moment seemed so surreal to him, maybe he would wake up any moment now and not have to endure this joke at his expense. He closed his eyes and turned around to try and walk out but Mario pulled him back and he could swear that he heard Mario protest to him leaving as his elder brother pulled him back. It was at that moment that Luigi realized that this moment was really happening.

-Later that day-

Luigi did manage to calm down and now he was sitting on the edge of the roof, overlooking the courtyard, hugging his knees to his chest. He could not believe that they would pull such an awful prank on him. Sure it was hilarious for them but it was far from amusing for him and he could not control how cowardly he had become. He also wished he could remember what made him so afraid to begin with; that part of his memory actually blanked out of his mind and was forever concealed in shadows…leaving him a qui9vering mass in the end, timid and fearful of almost everything around him.

Mario and the group was understanding and accepting of his growing fears and that gave him a slight form of comfort; however, that acceptance seemed to diminish over the recent couple of months and he became an open target to criticism and even blame for not standing up for himself when he should have or being there when Mario needed him. Now it would seem that blame has now turned into becoming the palace joke and that was not sitting well with Luigi at all.

"Luigi? What are you doing up there?" Daisy yelled from the courtyard.

Luigi pressed his forehead against his knees, like he did not hear her. Daisy was one of the people in the room laughing at him after all; Luigi had a hard time facing those that laughed at his incident.

"Luigi!" Daisy screamed in a semi-scolding manner. "Get down here!"

Luigi responded by shaking his head, not that she could see it from down there.

"I swear to god, Luigi…if you make me come up there." She threatened, knowing that Luigi responded best to a commanding tone.

"Fine…fine…" Luigi muttered to himself as he stood up and stepped off the edge of the roof, dragging his foot and fingertips along the stone wall of the castle, he slide down to land to a kneel on the ground, knowing that a clean drop down would prove to be quite harmful. Slowly standing to his feet, he kept his head down so the visor of his green hand hid as much of his face as possible.

"What's the matter with you?" Daisy wondered as she walked over, placing her hands on her hips. Daisy always proved to be the more feisty of the princess' due to being more tomboyish then Princess Peach; however, not all instances did that help her case, her sympathy and tender side was weakened cause of it.

"Doesn't matter," Luigi shrugged slightly.

"Don't make me get it out of you…you know I can." Daisy sighed out lightly. "It wasn't about that little bit of joking is it?" she asked when Luigi did not respond to her; the slight twitch she noted from his form was all the answer she needed. "Oh it is, isn't it?" Daisy exclaimed.

A light thump was heard as Daisy lightly hit Luigi on the arm when she asked her last question; it was not enough to hurt Luigi that was something that she did often so he was used to it by now.

"Come on Luigi, don't let it get to you…it was innocent teasing." Daisy expressed causally.

"I don't enjoy being this way, Daisy." Luigi confessed, folding his arms as he looked off to the side, he still had problems looking Daisy in the face right now. "That was in front of everybody."

"You were adorable," Daisy laughed very lightly, remembering the incident as she rubbed Luigi's arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"I was nothing but a coward." Luigi snapped, but his weak tone took away the threatening snap that he had originally intended.

"Aw, Luigi…don't get so upset." Daisy whispered; stepping forward to close the distance, she pulled him close for an embrace. "Baby, don't worry…you'll always be my little coward."

That did not exactly add any form of comfort to him whatsoever. Closing his eyes tight, he felt his body tense up while being held by Daisy. Shaking his head slightly once, Luigi looked towards the sky and let out a shaken breath.

'I don't want to be a coward anymore…' Luigi thought to himself, secretly hoping that some force out there heard him.

Little did he know, someone was listening to his thoughts that day and that someone would respond with haste.


	2. Observed under a galactic lens

Observed under a galactic lens

It had proven to be a rough day for Luigi; he had to leave the Mushroom Kingdom early cause everywhere he walked he got reminded of his disgusting display of cowardice and that was too much on him. The moment that Toads, one of the most cowardly little creatures in the Mushroom Kingdom mocked him behind his back or snickered at him as he passed…meant that he had dropped to a new time low.

Unworthy to being a hero or even the title of sidekick, Luigi was feeling awful.

Walking over to his bed, Luigi flopped face first onto the beds surface, gritting his teeth together as he hammered his fist into the bed's surface. He was left to wonder what event in his life was so awful that he blacked out the entire experience and it left him with a gaping hole in his person that was filled up completely with fear and uncertainty.

Luigi remembered back to when he braved the adventures with Mario, fought by his side and overcame the terrors that awaited them both; fighting through dungeons, ghost houses, dinosaur lands, cloud cities and floating ships. Now all Luigi could do was siphon any bits of courage that his brother had and push himself forward based on his elder brothers actions.

"How have I become so weak?" Luigi moaned angrily.

He used to be a hero alongside his brother and now he had fallen so far; today's event only served to tarnish what little his reputation could have of recovery now. Luigi sat up suddenly with a push-up action as he ticked his legs under him and say on his bed; pulling his hat off his head he pulled and twisted it like he was trying to tear it in half before he tossed it across the room. Grabbing the sides of his head he rocked lightly on his green-sheeted bed and gave a groan of anguish.

"I wish I had my courage back…send me back to when I had courage…please." Luigi whispered to himself over and over again.

Sadly, he knew that wishes like that did not come true and he knew his words would be in vain. Shaking his head once, Luigi took just a few deep breathes and tried to remember that before he could do anything about his situation he would need to calm down and think about his predicament.

Luigi laid back on top of his bed as he stared up at the ceiling, he was trying to remember the event that his mind traumatically blocked out; maybe if he forced himself to remember, then he would be able to confront it and regain the courage he remembered that he once had. Mario had not returned yet, which mean that he was probably staying over at the castle again. Luigi could not trouble himself with that…he needed to get into his thought zone.

Luigi now found himself in his comfort zone at least, quiet room, small lamp lighting his desk, cup of fresh tea beside the notepad and pen. Lifting the cup, he subtly sniffed the fragrance of his jasmine tea, little sugar was put in it and stirred around with a cinnamon stick; taking a light sip from the cup, Luigi gave a subtle hum of pleasure and placed the cup back down on the desk before he grabbed his pen and lightly started tapping his forehead to stimulate his thoughts.

"If only I kept a journal, I could lock down when I blacked out this experience." Luigi thought to himself.

Luigi time and again proved to be the more logical and thoughtful part of the brothers and proved that what he lacked in plain strength, he more than made up for in his mind. But his panic had been crippling his logical drastically during their recent adventures. He had hoped that now that he was going to just try and focus on the memories might actually help, his mind was capable of so much…if he let it do its job.

Hours had passed and three cups of tea were downed before Luigi shook his head hopelessly, he was not going to get this done alone. He did know that he was alone whenever this happened because no one knew what happened to him. Luigi could only thing that maybe it was an adventure that he tried to do alone…maybe a near death experience that was so damaging that he blacked it out and it scared him, leaving countless fear triggers in his mind.

A knock at the door disrupted his thoughts as he blinked and looked over his shoulder.

'_Now who would be coming around at this time of night?_' Luigi thought to himself.

"Luigi, are you awake?" Daisy's voice sounded through the door.

'_Oh great, I cannot face her right now. I just need…a little more time. If I can get my courage back than I can become a man she can be proud of._' Luigi thought to himself as he turned back to his paper ignoring the next set of knocks. It killed him to act so rude and not even answer her but he knew the moment she heard his voice, she would be inside and facing him without him being able to stop her. '_Forgive my rude manners, Daisy. I will make it up to you somehow_.' He continued to think, staring at the blank notepad as he swirled the steaming cup of tea, his fourth cup now.

The knocked stop and silence once more dominate the house of the Mario Brothers.

The cutest little sounds suddenly resounded from the house as Luigi stopped in mid-sip, his head turning to try and find the source; however, the feeling of heated tea against his lap made him jump as he grunted once but that sudden jerk only made him spill more tea on himself. Standing up, Luigi dropped the cup to the ground to stop the tea of burning him further and then breathing out. Light toned giggling sounds made his head jerk from looking down at the tea to looking around the room again with wide eyes.

"H-hello?" Luigi asked his tone betrayed his curiosity. He was actually not very intimidated by the cute sounds this unknown visitor was making but his not knowing what was there gave him a shaken tone. One of the traits his despised about himself right now.

With searching eyes, Luigi tried to pinpoint where the sounds came from. The almost childlike sounds filled the room again, this time they sounded of a mix of panic and laughter; like a child that was panicked while trying to find a place to hide and yet having so much fun that he or she had to giggle.

"Whose there?" Luigi asked, his strength of tone had returned, probably from subconscious reassurance that the visitor was friendly.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Luigi saw a sudden flash of light and his head whirled over and looked up. It was coming from upstairs, near the bed. Luigi gave a nod as he cleared his throat and started to walk up the stairs.

Small jungle sounds suddenly filled the air as the high-pitched, cheerful sound erupted and a small glowing object flew over Luigi's head.

"Hu-Whoa!" Luigi stumbled backwards and before he knew it, he was tumbling down the stairs before he fell flat on his back and the back of his head slammed against the hardwood flooring.

Luigi's world started to darken; his senses became hazy as his world started to whirl in an almost sickening manner. His eyes gazed up as he saw a floating star make a cute squeal like sound as he floated down towards Luigi.

His world became black.

Scene change

Luigi groaned as he felt his senses slowly snapping to; the first sense to return was sounds and what she heard was a soft, siren tone speaking words that he did not understand yet.

"Oooh…Mamma mia." Luigi groaned out, lifting himself off the…very soft surface? When did he get on something soft? Last thing he could remember was that he was on the hardwood floor.

"Shhh, please…" the lyrical, soft and tender tone sounded.

Luigi opened his eyes, but the black world was not recovering yet and would still take just a few more moments. He would obey the woman in the darkness for now, at least until he could gain his baring as he rubbed his head lightly, touching the bump on the back of his head he flinched and his eyes shut tight once more.

The lovely voice continued to speak but he knew that she was not speaking to him; she was speaking to something else in his area as well. The light scent of crisp winter snow filled the air around him; it was coming from the area of which he laid on. It seemed that smell was the next sense to return to him and he was instantly overwhelmed with this enticing scent.

"And so, the dark knight accepted his fate and fled from the place he once called home…so he would not harm anyone he truly cared for." The siren voice filled the air; the woman behind the voice was telling a small story. "Little did the dark knight know…his adventures were just beginning…the end."

Opening his eyes once more, Luigi found himself adjusting to the dim, blue lights of the room and he pushed himself so he could at least sit up again. Luigi's eyes darted around the room to gain any insight to where he was.

'…Rosalina?' Luigi absently thought.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, half turned to him as she looked down at a hardcover book; her fingers lightly traced over the last page as she slowly closed the book and placed it lightly on the bed. The next thing that Luigi noticed were the Luma's that were now asleep almost all around him. She had been telling them a small little bedtime story; now he felt guilty for moving around so much and making even just a little noise. He did not want to startle any of the little stars that slept around him and a stranger's voice would probably do just that.

Luigi's eyes left the peacefully sleeping Luma's and looked over to Rosalina once more and felt unnerved when he noticed her sky blue eye looking at him in a peaceful manner as she gave him the faintest of smiles. Rising a hand to her lips; she enforced that Luigi stay silent as she stood to her feet and then gracefully turned and started to leave the room. Looking over her shoulder, she wiggled one finger as a gesture for him to follow her.

Follower her example, Luigi did his best to slip off the bed where he rested and walked out of the room, looking back once to watch the sleeping Luma's and gave a small nod with a smile and walked out while closing the door gently behind him. He turned and was surprised to see Rosalina standing before him.

"Welcome again, Luigi." Rosalina greeted.

"How…did I come to be here?" Luigi whispered; keeping in mind that he was close to the door where the Luma's slept.

"It is part of your wish…" she calmly voiced.

"My wish?" Luigi asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"I cannot expose your wish to you, you know what it is. I told both of you that I would be watching over you from afar. Your distress has saddened me greatly and hearing you wish…I had to bring you to me." Rosalina confessed as she placed a hand next to her heart while still holding her silver wand, her eye half closing to show her touch of sorrow.

"Don't look so sad, Princess…please." Luigi pleaded, he could not bear the thought of being the source of sorrow in a princess.

"You and your brother bravely fought to help me out; I could not forgive myself if I just stood by and did nothing in return. It will make my heart very happy if I could help you this one time." Rosalina smiled lightly as she looked to her wand.

"Can you bring my courage back?" Luigi asked softly almost ashamed that he has to ask.

Rosalina slowly shook her head from side to side, the gesture made Luigi sigh out as he lowered his head slightly. "I cannot give it to you…However," she added, making Luigi look back to her again. "I can show you the door to what you seek; it is you that has to walk through it."

That actually sent a tingle of excitement through Luigi as he nodded once.

"I warn you, please be very careful what you wish for…the more careful you are, the more close the benefits you reap shall become." Her voice was soft, endearing yet kept a neutral motherly tone.

"I am ready, Princess." Luigi firmly started; he knew that he did not want anything more then to regain his courage and would do anything to get it back.

Rosalina gave a subtle nod as she looked to her wand and waved it lightly, producing an almost illusionary star composed from faint star power. Rosalina then waved her hand around the star shaped energy as Luigi notice that it started to grow smaller and smaller before she squeezed the star in her hand and then slowly offered her hand to Luigi. Wide-eyed, Luigi leaned in close to her closed hand and watched as her slender fingers opened slowly to expose a small, pill sized shimmering star.

"Mix this in with something you drink and then think of what you want, if it is a missing part of you…then that part shall be returned." Rosalina instructed with a tender voice.

Luigi only stared at the shimmering star pill in a dumbfounded manner; it forced Rosalina to let out a light giggle as she let her wand float in the air and reached out with her newly freed hand to grab his, opening his hand so she could drop the pill into his palm.

"I don't know what to say…thank you." Luigi smiled as he closed his hand and brought it back to him.

"You are far too kind, Luigi. It is I who must thank you and your brother for everything you both have done for me." Rosalina shook her head very slightly but managed to keep her smile.

"Is there anything I could do for you?" Luigi wondered.

Rosalina blinked her one exposed eye once and Luigi watched as her striking sky-blue eye looked up towards the ceiling for a moment in thought, the first expression she gave was one of shock and now what followed was contemplation.

"I am returning your generosity and you wish to do something for me?" Rosalina whispered softly while grabbing her wand again only to tap her chin with the tip of her hand. Luigi found that somewhat of a cute image to see.

"Well if you insist—" Luigi started but found himself silenced when Rosalina lifted her hand gracefully in objection.

"Please excuse me interrupting you there, Luigi. If you do not mind however, I would love to take you up on your offer." Rosalina whispered in a soft reply.

"Of course, Princess…anything." Luigi smiled.

"Can you…" she started to ask; however a side to her was showing as she glanced to the side and gathered herself in a deep breath before smiling lightly. "One of the most beautiful events is about to happen in a galaxy very close and I would love for you to be my company for it." Rosalina confessed with a small, impish smile.

Luigi was set back by the request but he gave her a wide smile with a nod.

"Certainly, Princess." Luigi responded.

"How wonderful," Rosalina smiled as she half-turned to look towards the sparkling stars in the vast, open space. "Please forgive my intrusion…everything just gets so lonely here. Do not think wrong of me, I love all my beautiful Luma's dearly and enjoy that they are a part of my life; however, it is still so lonely up here that I would be eternally grateful for your company during the rare event." Rosalina spoke; Luigi could not see her expression because the side that faced her was covered by her platinum blonde hair.

"That is so sad." Luigi frowned sympathetically.

Rosalina gave a weak laughter as she turned her head to face him, allowing Luigi to see her sky-blue eyes again but what he saw made the smile on his face fade quickly.

Her normally alluring sky-blue eyes were actually lined with a light sheen of tears that welled up at the bottom.

"Do not feel sorry for me, Luigi. You are giving me something that I shall not forget…no matter how many hundreds of years pass. I mean it, thank you ever so much." Rosalina smiled weakly before she seemed to realize the lining of tears at her eyes. A flash of surprise was expressed on her face as she turned her head again and Luigi could see her lift her hand up to brush at her eye; her arm continued to stay at an elevated level and that made Luigi realize that she was observing her tear.

"Princess, are you alright?" Luigi asked as gently as possible.

Rosalina was silent for just a few more seconds before her body stirred very slightly and she turned to face Luigi again, giving a small reassuring smile.

"I am fine, I am happy you will be staying…please, let me show you around." Rosalina responded with a soft, endearing tone again.

Before Luigi could even reply to her, Rosalina turned gracefully on her high heels and started her walk down the hallway. Luigi was about to run before he looked to the door where the Luma's had been put to sleep and tippy-toed after the teal princess.

"What is this event that is going to be happening?" Luigi whispered after her.

Rosalina responded with a light-mannered giggle as Luigi watched her hair sway back and forth, she was shaking her head lightly. "That will have to be a surprise; why should I explain it when you can see one of the many beauties of space for yourself?"

Luigi gave a nod; however his eyes narrowed very slightly on Rosalina as he followed after her. It was not in an aggressive or suspicious manner but more in an observing manner as he looked deep into Rosalina, beyond her caring yet neutral façade: she was one lonely, damaged woman.


	3. Tears of the galaxy

Tears of the Galaxy

Rosalina stood on the terrace of her observatory, crossing one hand over the other as she looked into the depths of space. The footsteps she heard behind her made her small lightly, the sound of company that she had longed for thousands of years and now she could actually enjoy the interaction; unlike when Mario and Luigi came to save her observatory and the two brothers were too rushed to act like guests.

"Come, stand by me, Luigi." Rosalina offered, lifting her hand so she could gracefully gesture for him to come to her.

Luigi nodded once, reaching up to adjust his hat before walking over to her side. It was then that he fully let it dawn on him on how tall the woman was. Giving her a bewildered blink he could not help but stare at her for a few moments.

As if detecting her guest's eyes on her, she turned her head completely so her one revealed eye could look down at her, giving a slight tilt to her head. Luigi shook his head once as if snapping to and he gave a nervous smile with a light laughter to follow, rubbing the back of his head which in turn pushed his hat forward, forcing the green plumber to readjust it again.

"Something troubling you, Luigi?" Rosalina asked calmly.

"Ah…no, it is nothing, Princess." Luigi replied.

"Rosalina," she insisted peacefully.

"Princess Rosalina," Luigi smiled in reply.

Giving a light smile, Rosalina shook her head very slightly and closed her eye with a small sound coming from her lips. "Please, just Rosalina." She insisted.

"Oh I couldn't." Luigi shook his head.

"I insist."

"Well…ok than…Rosalina." Luigi smiled lightly.

Rosalina returned his smile and looked back towards the beauty of the endless space that was lit with the glowing jewels that were the stars.

"Space is a sea of endless dreams and possibilities; did you know that, Luigi?" Rosalina said in almost a whispered tone.

"I haven't thought about space too much to be honest." Luigi confessed. "I mean…I have spent nights staring at the stars above and just thinking to myself."

"I know you have," she whispered back, loud enough for him to hear. "You are unlike your brother; he is very expressive and instinctual." She spoke softly. "It leads him to do brave yet reckless acts but his strength and courage allow him to survive and push forward."

"Yes..well…" Luigi started, feeling a little belittled in comparison.

"You however…" Rosalina gently interrupted, looking back to him. "You are as deep as these endless bounds of space and it shows. You are too hard on yourself, do you know that?" she voiced out, turning her sky-blue eyes from the green plumber back to space.

"Well—" Luigi started but found himself silenced when Rosalina lifted her index finger to her lips gently.

"My gift to you shall give you everything you feel you are missing; just be sure to use it very carefully however, I cannot say that enough but I trust in you Luigi." Rosalina advised.

"Of course, Pr—Rosalina." Luigi almost felt himself slip up but his old habits die hard when he found himself staring at the height of Rosalina, she was a sizable woman after all in comparison.

Feeling his eyes on her again, Rosalina glanced over to look at the Green plumber; sure enough he was staring at her and she could only blink once before she started to think to herself.

"Oh, I guess my size can be somewhat overwhelming to get used to, can't it?" Rosalina peacefully asked before lifting her hand and plucking her wand out of thin air. Letting the wand shimmer to life once more, Rosalina very lightly tapped her forehead before her body became bordered in a very faint golden glow. Luigi's eyes went wide as she watched in awe while watching Rosalina's magic take place and in a sudden burst of golden light that made Luigi shut his eyes the spell was complete.

Luigi opened his dazed eyes, making a sound of surprised awe; now staring into Rosalina's beautiful eye on even levels now. She was exactly his height now as she gave him a pleasant yet polite smile.

"Does this help?" she asked in a soft tone. Luigi could only nod in reply and smiled at her; a very light shade of red appeared on the cheek that was not covered by her platinum hair, she was not used to being stared at and yet she did not seem to mind all too much expect for the fact that it was making her slightly uncomfortable. "We are here." Rosalina distracted, gesturing her hand towards space.

Luigi looked from Rosalina to the space and the only thing he saw was a star relatively close, but he knew they were still a very far distance away from the massive body in the galaxy. Luigi glanced back over to Rosalina but the sight that awaited him surprised him for a moment; Rosalina clasped her hands together and her head was bowed low.

"Rosalina?" Luigi whispered, trying not to disturbing her but yet still wanting to understand.

"Please give me a moment, Luigi. This star's life is coming to its end. As the mother of these cosmos, I must be here for this event." Rosalina whispered a tint of sorrow in her voice.

Luigi went silent for a moment as he blinked and then looked back to the star that was in front of them, reaching up he took his hat and pulled it off his head so he could rest it on his chest, lowering his head as he stayed silent while Rosalina finished what she had to.

Soft sniffles actually broke Luigi's stance as he opened his eyes and glanced back over to Rosalina, she had brought her one hand up to gently wipe away the tears that were welling up around her eyes. Luigi hesitantly placed a hand on her lower back and rubbed gently in comfort as she gave out a weak, tear filled laughter and turned to him.

"Thank you for your moment of respect." She whispered as she looked over to the green plumber. "As much as this is a sad moment, I can assure you that it is filled with beauty and a miracle, in that order." She whispered softly.

"Of course, Rosalina." Luigi reassured.

"It has begun." Rosalina spoke lightly as she gestured towards the space again turning to face the star.

Luigi looked over and watched, his eyes going wide in awe as the star seemed to rumble and crack along the surface and right before his eyes a blinding flash occurred that made Luigi stagger for a moment; correcting his eyes the next sight he saw would be unspeakable for him to try and explain. A beautiful array of colors filled the space where the star once was, glittering along the black cavas of the cosmos in the brightest colors that Luigi ever saw in his life. The dust like energy swam across the black space and each time the energy rippled, the countless billions of shimmering dust all changed a different color. Luigi's head turned as he looked back to Rosalina, her body started to shimmer in a rainbow glow as well as the woman placed both her hands over her chest and her body leivated off the ground and soon she faded into nothing.

"Oh…" Luigi exclaimed in surprise as he looked around quickly before looking back up to the stunningly beautiful light show from the cosmos. He squinted his eyes for a moment and barely was able to see a burning white center mixed in with the everchanging stardust that filled his sights.

Luigi then saw Rosalina, floating back down to the observatory with her eye closed, head lowered and her hands still over her heart. She peacefully landed in the very same spot that she had disappeared from, Luigi could not help but run out to the front of her to make sure she was alright; even though logic told him that she was just fine because this was something she probably has done many times in her lifespan.

"From the beauty…" Rosalina whispered, her stunning blue eye opening as she glanced to Luigi and then looked back down at her hands clasped over her chest, guiding Luigi to follow her gaze as he looked at her clasped hands while curiously leaning in very slowly. "Come…a miracle." She smiled very softly, pulling her hands from her chest as she showed Luigi what rested in the palms of her hand. A tiny, green Luma with closed eyes rested peacefully in her hands; that sight made Luigi suddenly smile as he gazed upon the newly born baby Luma. With a small squeak, the Luma struggled to open its eyes as the two arm like points to its tiny tear-shaped body wiggled lightly before the Luma started to let out a hungry cry.

"Please do not cry, beautiful Luma, I am here for you now." Rosalina smiled as she held the Luma in one hand now, pulling out a Star Bit. The crying was soon replaced with content and cute munching sounds that made the beautiful teal princess smile. "Thank you Luigi…for sharing in this wonderful moment with me." Rosalina commented peacefully.

"It is my pleasure, really…it is." Luigi smiled cheerfully.

He was surprised when she looked down at the Luma and then offered it to him, cupping both hands together he felt the soft form of the Luma placed gently in his hands as Rosalina than crossed her hands peacefully in her lap and watched him with a smile.

"Ah…Well…hello." Luigi nervously introduced. "My names Luigi." He continued with a smile, watching the Luma nibble away at the Star Bit it was given. "You like green too huh? Me too." Luigi idly spoke, unsure what to say to a newborn Luma.

Rosalina could not help but giggle as she watched Luigi interact with the Luma, giving a slight endearing tilt to her head.

Luigi watched the Luma deplete the Star Bit before it let out a content little sound, Luigi let out a small laugh as he leaned in slightly, the Luma looked up to him and only blinked. Luigi very carefully and lightly poked what he assumed was the tummy of the Luma, the little thing wiggled and let out a delighted, ringing Luma giggle.

"Believe it or not, now that the Luma has seen you so early in its life and you have given it joy; it shall never forget you for as long as it lives now." Rosalina smiled as she cupped Luigi's hand in her own and gently reclaimed the giggling Luma, holding the baby close to her chest once more.

"Really?" Luigi asked, letting the teal-princess take the green baby Luma.

"Oh yes, I am sorry Luigi but you are like its father now." Rosalina cheerfully joked.

"Me? A father?" Luigi laughed lightly, scratching his head in thought.

Rosalina looked down once more before looking back to Luigi and raised her left hand to her lips to politely silence Luigi once more. "This one is very tired from being reborn, it is asleep now so I should put it somewhere comfortable." She whispered, turning almost weightlessly on her heel as she turned to walk off the terrace, she almost floated above the ground with her steps.

Luigi did not know if he was supposed to follow her or not; it would be considered rude to follow where he was not invited and yet it would be rude and even insulting to not follow when he was intended to. Fidgeting once, Luigi stepped forward but then stopped himself; biting his lip he sighed and turned around to look at the glorious array of rainbow waves that showered the cosmos.

Moments passed in silence as Luigi slowly turned around, worried on how much time had passed since he disappeared from the Mushroom Kingdom. His thought was disrupted when he noticed Rosalina walking back towards him as she stood before him again, still standing at his exact height while under the effects of her own spell.

"I have to thank you again, Luigi." Rosalina spoke softly, giving a gentle smile.

"Rosalina—" Luigi started but once more silenced himself when Rosalina placed her slender finger to her lips.

"I am sorry for constantly interrupting you Luigi but before you say what wanted to; I just wish to say that I do know you have to return to Mushroom Kingdom and I just wished to tell you that this moment meant more to than you know." Rosalina reached into empty space and pulled her wand out of thin air; placing her fingertips to the tip of her wand as she let out one soft sigh. "I do hope my gift will be to your desired effects and do not forget that I shall be watching over you and your endearing friends." Rosalina smiled weakly while lowering the wand towards Luigi, almost tapping him.

"Wait wait…Princess…er…Rosalina." Luigi lifted his hand like it would stop the effect of her magic, knowing full well it wouldn't have.

"Yes, what is it, Luigi?" Rosalina asked softly.

"You don't have to be alone anymore." Luigi responded.

He noticed that those words actually surprised Rosalina enough for her lips to part as she blinked her eye once.

"Anytime you want company, I'll be more than happy to come back for you." Luigi smiled, stunning the teal beauty. "Oh…and my brother and the rest would love to visit you as well I am sure." He added with a light laughter.

Tears welled in the bottom of her eye as she lifted her hand to wipe the salty substance away and breathed out once.

"Thank you…Luigi." Rosalina responded; before Luigi could reply, Rosalina lowered her wand and tapped Luigi lightly.

He was gone.

Walking to the edge of the terrace, Rosalina looked up towards the rainbow beauty that lingered in the blackness of the cosmos, letting a small smile curve her lips.

"I will take you up on that…kind man." Rosalina closed her eye as a tear fell down her face, lifting a hand to her chest.


	4. Confessions to questions

Confessions to questions

"Luigi…Luigi! Wake up!" Mario's voice suddenly thundered inside Luigi's head; his world of blackness shattered almost instantly as he opened his eyes to see the brightly lit room, illuminated by the bright sun.

"M-Mario?" Luigi uttered out in a weak tone, lifting himself up.

Luigi started to take in his surrounding and instantly recognized the area; he was back in their home and Luigi was at the bottom of the stairs that he had previously fallen down.

'_A dream? It was all a dream? It felt so real though._' Luigi rubbed the back of his head, feeling the noticeable lump. '_Of all the things I could dream though…why would I dream of the Observatory and of…Rosalina?_' Luigi thought to himself.

"Momma Mia Luigi, what happened? You fall down the stairs?" Mario chuckled lightly.

"I…guess I did." Luigi muttered, glancing to the side.

"What scared you, bro?" Mario wondered, lightly smacking Luigi on the back before standing to his feet again, pulling Luigi up with him.

"Nothing," Luigi frowned, dusting off his overalls.

"Well whatever it was, you need to get ready, Bro. Have you forgotten that we are facing Wario and Waluigi in the tennis tournament today?" Mario informed.

Luigi narrowed his eyes in annoyance when he said that; first Mario pulled a prank on him in front of the entire Mushroom Kingdom, in front of Princess Peach and Princess Daisy; especially Daisy. Now his brother was demanding for his presence in front of the entire Mushroom Kingdom to compete against their arch-rivals. Mario acted like nothing happened and that only irritated Luigi just a little bit more.

"I dunno if I am feeling up to it, bro." Luigi muttered lightly.

"Luigi, we need to be there." Mario firmed as he looked over to Luigi. Mario had walked over to the other side of the room, pulling free his tennis racket and giving it one test swing.

"Could you ask Princess Peach to stand in for me?" Luigi asked lightly, pocketing his hands.

"Luigi, you know that in the tournament that Peach and Daisy have teamed up, there is no one else to stand in for you." Mario frowned as he walked over. "Why don't you go visit Daisy, I am sure she can cheer you up before our match." Mario smiled.

"I…guess." Luigi shrugged slightly.

"Good…I'll see you at the match then, bro." Mario exclaimed, shouldering his tennis racket as he walked out of the door before Luigi could even get a response in.

'_Well, I should go make it up to Princess Daisy. I did not answer when she came knocking last night and I was a little unfair with her yesterday…I guess_.' Luigi thought, feeling the guilt linger on the surface of his brain.

-Later that day-

Luigi sat on the edge of the stone fence just outside of the tournament grounds; he was waiting for Daisy to walk by, knowing her match was just before his and that she would need to get ready.

"Luigi!" Daisy called, making Luigi turn his head swiftly as he gave a small greeting smile.

The tormenting image of her laughing at him in that room haunted him just a little as a notable tremble went through his body.

She was walking beside Peach as they both walked down the sidewalk that led towards the stadium. Daisy ran up to Luigi and gave a sweet smile while she placed a hand on Luigi's knee.

"What are you doing slumping around here for, hon? Shouldn't you be warming up for your match?" Daisy blinked, now leaning her weight against Luigi's knee. Peach had caught up while Daisy spoke to him, walking up to stand a pace behind her princess counter-part.

"I…just wanted to see you." Luigi muttered, glancing to the side as he ran his fingers through the blades of grass that was on level on the opposite of the stone wall.

"Well aren't you the sweetest little thing," Daisy smiled playfully, looking over her shoulder to Peach. "Isn't he just a doll? He is, isn't he?"

"He is adorable," Peach giggled with a cheerful nod.

Daisy gave a light laughter before she looked back to Luigi and noticed him fiddling with the grass, he wanted to say something and he normally did not have the courage to confess himself in front of anyone more than her.

"Peach, darling…you're going to have to give up a moment alone." Daisy winked.

"Alright Daisy," Peach looked to Luigi. "You seen Mario?" she asked softly.

"Hm? Oh…yeah he is already inside, Princess." Luigi gestured towards the Stadium.

"Thank you!" Peach said happily, nodding to both Luigi and Daisy. "Have fun you two."

"See you on the court, darling." Daisy winked as she kissed her fingertips and waved Peach farewell before turning her eyes towards her boyfriend. "Alright babe, I am all yours now…what are you going to do with me now?" Daisy teased.

"Well—" Luigi started, continuing to fiddle with the grass blades lightly.

"Can you look at me, babe? Or is there something unsightly about me that you are noticing?" Daisy frowned while giving a tilt to her head; she did not mean the last part but it was used more to grab his attention like she knew it would.

"Wh-what? No no…you are very beautiful, Princess Daisy." Luigi insisted.

"Just Daisy, Luigi…remember?" Daisy smiled cheerfully, seeing Luigi's reaction as he turned his head quickly to look at her. "But that is much better…what is wrong, babe? You look like a scolded child." Daisy noted as she stepped over and sat on the edge of the stone fence with him.

"I…uh…" Luigi felt the nervous tension build up in his body as he struggled to keep his eyes locked onto Daisy's.

Luigi always found Daisy to be a stunning princess with a huge emotional flame that some may regard as tomboyish but Luigi adored it and her inability to keep things in her mind. She was a very open princess with a very slight problem of expressing her romantic side from time to time but when she did, her emotions were overwhelming, like a tidal wave. He stared into her honest eyes and gave a weak guilty smile in return.

"I…just wanted to say sorry." Luigi uttered out in a weak voice silently.

"Sorry? What are you sorry about?" Daisy blinked, arching an eyebrow. She kept a strong front but the moment she heard him say sorry, her heart started to hammer wildly in her chest and all sorts of awful images started entering her head. He did not explain why yet and due to the images she already felt like decking him for cheating on her or something.

"You know last night right?" Luigi started; his eyes already started to shift but a gentle pat on his leg from Daisy enforced him to keep his eyes on her, it was the polite thing to do after all.

"What about last night?" Daisy asked; her throat was becoming a little hard already and her free hand at her side was slowly tensing into a small fist.

"Well you came to the house and you started knocking…asking if I was there. Well I was…" Luigi trailed off, than felt the redundancy of saying he was there if he already said he heard her knocking. "Well…yeah, of course I was there if I heard you knocking so that did not need to be said." He stated nervously.

"Luigi…sweetie, why didn't you answer the door?" Daisy asked as gentle as possible; however, her fist had already tensed into a tight ball as her mind ran through the option that maybe he was silent cause another woman was in there with him.

"I was ashamed to face you after…well, what happened…it was so humiliating that I could not bear to face anyone." Luigi confessed. "I was…trying to think on how to be more like…how I used to be, more courageous." Luigi could not say that last part without lowering his gaze.

Daisy could not show enough how relieved she was to hear that; even though it was horrible and she knew she should have felt awful for making him feel that way. The wave of emotion that flushed through her knowing that Luigi was still hers made her breath out suddenly as she gave a very nervous laughter.

"Oh, sweetie…I am sorry, I should not be laughing I know," Daisy started as she gently patted the nervous man's leg. "But sweetie, I am just so relieved you said that, you had me so worried there." The princess in the yellow dress confessed.

"Well…that is not all." Luigi sighed out.

Daisy's heart started to beat faster again as she tapped his leg, making him look at her; Daisy pointed with her index and middle finger towards her eyes, encouraging Luigi to look her in the eyes when he was going to make another confession. The moment he locked eyes with her, Daisy lowered hand back to her side, tension was building up in her body again.

"What else is there, babe?" Daisy got out with a firm tone, betraying how she felt.

"Well after that I fell down the stairs…clumsy me I guess." Luigi started into his confession, lifting a hand to show that he had more to say. "This part has had me confused and guilty all day." Luigi stalled for a moment as he breathed out. "Well I dreamed of Rosalina."

"Rosalina? You mean that woman dressed in the teal dress?" Daisy blinked in surprised, remembering back to the kart races they had, she was a sizable woman to her recollection.

"Yes, Mario and I aided her back at the—" Luigi started.

"Yeah yeah,I heard the story…get to the dream." Daisy stated with a sharp tone.

"Well…she wanted to help me gain my courage back." Luigi explained while nervously gesturing his arms.

"And?" Daisy impatiently asked; her mind already raced where a dream like this would go and she was not sure she would be able to keep a handle on her emotions for much longer.

It took some time but Luigi managed to explain his entire dream; he just had to force his eyes closed when he did it and every time he stalled he was pushed to say more by feeling Daisy pushing against his leg. After he managed to finish the tale, he hesitated a moment before opening his eyes and looking right to where Daisy was sitting, her expression seemed softer than when he first closed them. That could mean she was on the verge of possibly breaking down or he calmed her; his shaken nerves told him it was the first because he was no idiot, he knew that no woman liked hearing that their man was having dreams about another woman. It was just that the happiness he felt in the dream and everything made him guilty that it was not Daisy making him happy.

"Geez…Luigi…sweetie? Don't ever give me a heart attack like that again." Daisy sighed out as she leaned close and punched Luigi in the arm; it was not painful enough to hurt him but it was enough to get his attention.

Luigi felt the weight of guilt instantly lift the moment he saw Daisy smile and felt her playful punch to his arm before she leaned against him and wrapped her arms around the adorable green plumber.

"So…everything is alright?" Luigi asked lightly.

"Sweetie…you are just too adorable sometimes; thank you for just being you." Daisy laughed lightly, giving him an affectionate squeeze before pulling back and letting out one more deep breath. "It was just a dream, babe…not like it was a…well you know." Daisy waved her hand.

"Like what?" Luigi blinked once. "What else could I have dreamed up?" he added to his first question.

"Well you and Rosalina could have—" Daisy started before touching her fingertip to her lips and giving a small yet sly smirk and shook her head. "Oh nevermind, sweetie." Daisy finished as she lightly tapped Luigi's nose and smiled.

"I just had to tell you though, Daisy…I wanted to be honest." Luigi stated.

Daisy shifted in an uncomfortable manner when Luigi said that; her eyes actually shifted to the side for a moment as she seemed to think to herself for a moment.

"Daisy?" Luigi blinked, feeling like he might have triggered a bad memory for her.

"Don't worry about it, babe." Daisy smiled weakly before turning her head again. She saw Peach out of the corner of her eye and then nodded once and looked back to Luigi. "You win your match alright? We'll see you at the finals." Daisy managed to give out a challenging tone.

"You bet, Daisy." Luigi smiled.

Daisy smiled and nodded, slipping off the stone wall. She was about to turn and leave but she could not bring herself to do it without doing one more thing. She leaned up to Luigi and kissed him softly on the cheek before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"You are such a sweet man, Luigi. Never change." She pulled back after saying that and turned around to dash towards Peach.

Luigi gave a blush at the kiss and could not help but smile as all the guilt washed away from his mind and body. Pocketing his hands he let out a sigh; however, that sigh was short lived as he felt something strange he never felt the first time he pocketed his hands, slipping his fingers around the object he pulled it out to observe.

"Wait a minute." Luigi whispered to himself; his eyes widened as he jumped off the stone wall and looked towards the cloudy skies. "It…was a dream…wasn't it?" Luigi asked confused.

For in the palm of his hand…was a shimmering star shaped pill.


	5. The deciding factor

The deciding factor

Luigi gave a couple of practice swings with his tennis racket, feeling the emotions of guilt fading from his heart was actually returning his strength and will to compete against his arch-rival and darker counter-part Waluigi.

"Looking much better, bro." Mario cheerful commented.

"Eh? Mario?" Luigi blinked as he looked over his shoulder to meet the face of his beloved brother. "Oh…heh heh, I am feeling better, bro." Luigi confessed as he turned around.

"Prove it!" Mario challenged as he tossed a tennis call into the air and then slammed it full force, blazing the ball right at Luigi; the short distance that the ball traveled already had it spinning so much that it started to ignite on fire.

Luigi felt the entire world slow down in that one exact moment, his eyes narrowing as he countered the flaming ball with a powerful backhand. Luigi felt the surge of energy erupt from within his body while the tennis racket acted as a focus for the energy and the energy enforced the strings of the racket so the flaming ball did not burn right through. Lightning coursed through the tennis ball, claiming the flames and allowed Luigi to hit the tennis ball back with a screaming fury. The tennis ball zipped through the air right at Mario's head as he jerked his head to the side and let the tennis ball pass by. The tennis ball embedded itself into the locket behind Mario as the red-hatted plumber only gave a smile and lifted his hand up with a thumb up.

"That's my bro, come on weegee…let's go watch the ladies game and cheer them on. You are more than ready." Mario cheerfully said with a light laughter behind his voice.

Luigi could not help it; sometimes his brother could be a jerk at times. But deep down he loved his brother and he knew his brother loved him and half the things he did was just out of the role of being the elder brother.

"Right!" Luigi nodded, spinning once before pointing skyward with his racket. 'I am more than ready Mario.' Luigi thought to himself.

He was doing his best to push the fact that there was a star-shaped pill in his pocket; he would have to deal with it after his match.

-The match, Peach/Daisy versus Donkey Kong/Diddy Kong-

Luigi and Mario watched in stunned surprise at the completely one sided match unfold before them. Princess Peach and Daisy were fighting back in a valiant effort against their primate opponents; however it was proving to not be enough as they were becoming overwhelmed. Daisy was just not in the zone and in between serves, Luigi could notice from where he was sitting that something was on her mind and something was distracting her from keeping focus on the game.

Luigi could not stand it anymore, he needed to try and give her the same comfort that she gave him earlier. Standing up from his spot he placed both his hands to his mouth and called out to the troubled Sarasaland princess.

"Princess Daisy! You can do it!" Luigi called out, gaining her attention as she froze in spot and then looked over to the course of the voice. Her emerald eyes stared directly at Luigi as she stalled for a moment and stood up straight from her tennis ready stance. Luigi pointed to the side for her to pay attention to the game again, he did not want to distract her, just encourage her again.

"Luigi…sit down." Mario whispered as he pulled his younger brother back down.

"Sorry," Luigi responded, letting his elder brother seat him again.

Daisy shook her head once and went back into her tennis stance, her eyes looking forward at Donkey Kong who was readying a serve. The primate served with force as Daisy jumped to the side, she was too close to the ball to counter and Princess Peach had to dive across just to save the ball as it was knocked high. Daisy's eyes followed the ball as it went over to the Kong's side of the tennis court, dropping towards Diddy who was getting ready to jump and spike the ball with as much force as he could muster, which happened to be quite a bit for such a small monkey.

The moment was one of confusion for the crowd; Daisy's stance seemed to relax for a moment as she seemed to daze out slightly once more. She had done it just a few times in the match but it had cost them quite a few points. The ball hurled through the air and suddenly Daisy gave a squeal as the tennis ball hit her in the knee and made her buckle down as she fell to the ground.

"That is the match-point, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called out, earning the congratulatory cheers from the fans as they cheered on the Kongs.

"Mario," Luigi started as he looked over to his elder brother.

"I know, Luigi…something is not right." Mario replied.

The Mario brothers watched as Peach ran over to Daisy to check on her partner, kneeling beside her while Daisy painfully rubbed her knee.

"Let's go, Luigi." Mario voiced softly as he slowly stood up.

"Oh?" Luigi blinked, looking between Mario and then the Princesses'.

"To the locker room so we can meet up with them." Mario confirmed.

-Later backstage-

The sound of screaming could be heard, making Mario and Luigi look to each other as they responded by dashing down the hallways and turning to enter the dressing room.

"Get off my back!" Daisy screamed, holding ice to her knee.

"Daisy I am just worried…what happened out there?" Peach demanded, having her arms folded over her chest as she stomped her foot once in frustration.

"Peach…please? Just back off." Daisy snapped.

"I'm only worried about what happened to you." Peach uttered out lightly.

"You have a strange way of showing it!" Daisy snapped.

"Daisy," Peach sighed out.

"Just…shut up!" Daisy snapped once more, resting her forehead against the icepack on her knee.

"Hmph, Fine!" Peach finally burst out as she stomped her foot one more time before turning around and marching out of the room. Her eyes were teary with frustration as she walked towards the Mario brothers, grabbing Mario by the arm as she pulled him with her. "Come on, Mario."

Luigi stood there in silence as he felt his eyes dart around the change room before he walked over to Daisy and placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"D-Daisy?" Luigi spoke softly.

"Leave me alone right now Luigi." Daisy sighed out, continuing to rest her forehead on the icepack.

"O…Ok…" Luigi nodded, not sure what exactly to do. He knew that Daisy was a strong woman and that she knew exactly how to handle herself. If she wished to be alone then that was her honest wish; she never played the mind games with Luigi when a woman demands to be alone and then gets mad when the man doesn't say. Best thing for the green plumber to do would be to leave her be and let her compose herself. "I…I'll just be outside, getting ready for my match." Luigi spoke softly.

"Luigi?" Daisy voiced out, making the Green plumper stop in mid-step. "I need to speak you with you…uh…after your match of course. Just let me recover a little bit." Daisy said in a low tone, lifting her head as she glanced over to him.

"Of course, Daisy." Luigi gave a small comforting smile.

It was hard but Luigi managed to leave the dressing room as he started to walk down the hallway, just in time to see Princess Peach and Mario speaking. It seemed that Mario managed to calm her down again, she was already giggling into her gloved hand.

"Oh! Luigi, how is Daisy feeling now?" Peach smiled, lowering her fingertips from her lips.

"Just…give her a few moments to herself, princess, she is quite upset." Luigi confessed, glancing over his shoulder for a moment and then looking back to Peach.

"I understand, Luigi. I took the loss a little hard I guess." Peach sighed as she glanced to the side in a form of shame. "I just got so caught up in everything."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Princess. Everyone gets emotional in the tournament." Luigi nodded once, making the pink princess smile a little more.

"You and Mario have a match coming up right?" Peach spoke as she looked over to Mario.

"That's right, Weegee and I are playing against—" Mario started to speak.

"Over here, losers!" cackled a voice that belonged to none other than Waluigi.

Luigi felt that sting of irritation as his brows furrowed, his head turning to see both Waluigi and Wario standing at the end of the tunnel that led to the tennis court. The duo of arch-rivals both gave into their own laughter while Wario padded the tennis racket on his shoulder, Waluigi cackled until he locked eyes with the glaring Luigi and gave his own growl, twisting the racket's handle in his hand.

"We'll settle this out on the court." Mario spoke in a firm, demanding tone.

"Or we can settle it right here and now." Wario growled.

"No fighting on tournament grounds." Peach insisted, placing her hands on her hips. "All of you know better."

"Hiding behind the woman again, eh, Luigi?" Waluigi laughed.

"Watch it buster that is Princess Peach to you." Mario growled lightly as he stepped forward, raising a fist.

"What do you plan to do about it?" Wario retorted.

"Don't tempt me." Mario gritted his teeth together.

"Mario…don't, you'll get disqualified." Peach whispered softly, placing her hand on his shoulder gently.

"That is what they want." Luigi muttered to her, gaining her attention. He knew their mind games by now and they were trying to prey on Mario's temperament. Wario was always a crafty man, but even he was prone to his emotions just as much, if not worse than Mario. Then Wario teamed up with a crafty mind, Waluigi, and since then Wario had become just that much more difficult for Mario to deal with alone. Even Luigi had troubles keeping his calm temperament at times, Waluigi just always found a way to rub him the wrong way.

"Listen to the woman Mario, follow the lease." Waluigi cackled.

Things like that burned Luigi, disrespect for the woman that Waluigi used. Luigi knew that he did it on purpose to irritate even him but there was nothing he could do to prevent himself from reacting the way he would.

"You've spoken enough!" Luigi growled, stepping up beside Mario.

"All of you stop!" Peach desperately protested.

The hallway filled a tense silence as Mario and Luigi started to walk up to the duo that stood in their way. Wario and Waluigi responded by glaring at the brothers and stepping in to close the distance before they were all brought to a climatic face off. Lightning broke their silence as the flash of light filled the hallways from the opening of the outside. This flash caught all their attention as Wario and Waluigi looked over their shoulders to notice the sudden raging storm.

In that time, Peach had stood between the rivaling teams as she closed her eyes; she was fuming on the inside at the childish antics of these four.

"Alright now listen to me, all of you!" she screams out, making all four jump in a startled manner. "There is no…and I mean no fighting on these grounds! So stop it! Do you all understand?" she screamed, her arms tense and at her sides as she declared herself clearly.

"Now you wait a min—" Waluigi started but himself met with a stern gaze from the blonde princess that actually made the tall man step back. "Eh, let's go Wario…not worth it." Waluigi shrugged as he placed his hand on Wario's shoulder and gently pulled him back.

"When the storm ends, this kingdom will see just how 'super' the Mario Brothers are." Wario huffed out and turned, walking out into the storm with Waluigi at his side.

"With a storm like that…the match will be postponed." Luigi commented, looking over to his fired up brother.

Mario let out a huff as he stood up straighter and adjusted his cap. His touch demeanor changed quickly however as he noticed how worked up Princess Peach was.

"I am sorry, Peach." Mario uttered in a semi-ashamed toned.

"Yeah, I am sorry as well, Princess." Luigi sighed out.

Princess Peach let out a small sigh as she brought the back of her fingers to her cheek as if trying to calm herself down. Glancing between the Mario brothers she shook her head before turning around and walking down the hallway towards her dressing room again.

Mario blinked and started to run after Peach before stopping and turning to face Luigi. He was looking for something to say but Luigi needed no explanation. He just gave his elder brother a nod and waved his hand casually. Mario gave a brief smile and returned his nod; turning around again, Mario chased after the distraught Princess. It normally took a lot for Princess Peach to scream out like that but when she did she seemed to take it hard emotionally and would normally take a few moments to herself. She was certainly suiting of the title of being a gentle yet beautiful princess.

-Later in the day-

Luigi sat on the window ledge, resting his head against the glass as he watched the heavy rainfall flood the roads in a very thin layer of water. Luigi dug his hand into his pocket again and pulled out the star-shaped, glimmering pill once more; glancing down at the pill he let his mind wander back to images of Rosalina and their conversation and moreover his promise to her that if she ever felt lonely she could call upon him again. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even hear the door to his dressing room open.

"Luigi?" a soft tone sounded.

With a startled jerk, Luigi felt himself brought back to the reality of the world around him, clasping his hand firmly around the star-shaped pill as his bewildered eyes darted to the side. He saw Daisy taking just a few steps towards him, she had changed out her tennis attire and back into her flowing yellow dress, her hair actually tied back and braided due to be being recently washed. Luigi did like when she had just come from the shower, she always used a blend of daisies and lilacs mixed in with her hair and the faint smell radiated off her skin.

"Princess Daisy," Luigi said a little startled but soon replacing it with a greeting smile.

"Luigi," Daisy stated in a firm, almost scolding tone.

"Sorry…Daisy." Luigi responded, forgetting to just call her Daisy.

"Luigi...I have something that I need to tell you." Daisy muttered, her tone was weakened but she still managed to keep her tough façade through her expression and body language, the only weakness detected slightly in the tone and her eyes.

"What is it?" Luigi asked, a little nervous already. Daisy sat on the bench in the dressing room and gently patted the spot next to her for Luigi to join her. Hesitate at first; Luigi shifted his eyes between the spot and Daisy before sliding off the window ledge and walking over, sitting on the edge of the bench as he looked over to Daisy.

"I thought it was very endearing the way you confessed everything to me…that you felt guilty cause of dreams you could not control." Daisy confessed.

"About that—" Luigi said while extending his hand and he started to open his hand to show her the star-shaped pill but Daisy grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Please…let me speak." Daisy pleaded. Luigi blinked once and then gave a nod, lowering his hand back to his lap as Daisy looked down at her dress and causally smoothed out the surface before letting out a soft breath. "As I was saying, you have been honest and endearing to me. It would be unfair for me to keep this to myself." Daisy said in almost a whisper, glancing at Luigi before realizing that he was looking at her and found her gaze returning back to her hands as she laced her fingers together. "Luigi…do not get me wrong, you know that you are dear to me and that I want to be nothing but honest to you as well." Daisy muttered softly.

Luigi gave a smile with a nod, keeping himself silent for Daisy while the smile slowly faded from his face to assure Daisy that he was taking this seriously. He just gave a smile because he liked that Daisy going to up be upfront and honest with him. The fact that she was uneasy however was quickly becoming contagious and Luigi felt unease seep into his heart.

"Well you know that Mario has saved me before," Daisy voiced softly as she breathed out once, Luigi only nodded. "Well the truth is…oh dear." Daisy stumbled to say the next thing on her mind but she felt herself determined to be truthful to Luigi as well. "I'm just going to say it…Luigi, for the longest time I have actually loved Mario and it actually made me insanely to see him swoon over Peach." Daisy spoke quickly, feeling Luigi tense for a moment…now she had to do some damage control. "But that does not mean I do not care about you…I mean this was all before I met you." Daisy weakly confessed.

"I…see…" Luigi whispered out, it was a hard thing to hear but he also needed to know more about where she was. "And…do you still?" Luigi asked.

"Well…love just doesn't go away, Luigi…but it is just not as strong. I am still slightly jealous but I got you now." Daisy voiced.

Luigi could not take it anymore, he knew that she meant good by it; however, he also felt like this meant that he was a stand in, nothing more than a romantic understudy to his elder brother once more. So many women were attracted to him and this confession from Daisy was just too much for him to bear right now. Slowly, the green plumber stood to his feet and let out a soft breath, his hands becoming fists while he kept his eyes closed for a moment.

"Luigi? Please say something." Daisy pleaded.

"I just…need time to let that…sink in…Princess." Luigi whispered.

"Wait…" Daisy spoke softly; seeing Luigi stand to his feet and watched as he already started to walk towards the door. The stings of hearing him just call her by the title of princess hurt.

"Don't…" Luigi spoke in a surprisingly firm tone just as Daisy was about to stand to her feet. "Just leave me be…I need to think."

Before Daisy could even reply, Luigi ran out the door and down the hallway. He bumped into someone but he did not stop to see who it was he knocked to the ground and ran right into the raging storm. He could not stand to be in that room anymore, to know that he was nothing but a stand in…a backup plan for a princess who could not have who she originally loved and so she settled for the younger brother. Such a crushing weight surrounded his heart; a dark shadow suddenly fell over him…darker and colder then any shadow that Mario could cast over his life.

He did not know how long he had been running or how far he had gotten, he just ran until his knees buckled and he crashed to the ground, managing to break fall with the palms of his hand as he felt the thick mud splash from the ground, covering over his blue overalls and green clothing. Luigi managed to push himself up enough to sit on his feet as he rested his hands against his knees and kept his head lowered in shame and embarrassment. He could not tell if he was even crying, he was soaked from head to toe in rain and dirt to be able to determine if he was shedding any tears. Slowly his fingers gripped against his overalls as he felt his heart tighten in sorrow and pain which led to frustration and even anger at himself for believing someone could care for him for just being him and not see Mario when they looked at him.

The glimmer of a rainbow glow caught the corner of his eye as he lifted his head slightly to look to where he fell. There above the mud was a glowing, star-shaped pill. With trembling hands he grabbed it carefully and let it rest in the palm of his hand.

"Any…wish…I want…" he whispered in a sorrow filled tone.


	6. Dr Luigi and Mr L

Dr. Luigi and Mr. L

Luigi dragged himself through thick, muddy dirt while the storm continued to rage around him. Breathing hard, he found it a difficult talk to push forward with how much was lagging him behind but somehow he managed to find the strength. Gripping the star-shaped, glimmering pill his right hand he raised his left arm to wipe the muck away from around his eyes.

Lightning broke through the skies once more, making the green plumber lose his balance and fall face first into the grimy muck on the ground. He gave a light growl, growing ever more tired of being scared of everything. That lightning bolt sent his heart racing and if he allowed himself to think on it, then he would have been shivering in the building fear of how serious this storm was. Pushing himself up through the mucky mud, Luigi let out a deep breath for strength; he did not know where he was yet…the rain was too heavy to be able to see even 5 feet in front of him but all he knew was he thought he was going in the right direction.

The combination of thick mud, beating rain and gathering weight on his clothes was wearing Luigi out quickly. He soon found himself unable to breathing in enough air to gather his strength. The rain was so heavy that every time he took a deep breath, he breathed in some rain as well.

Opening his hand, Luigi was somewhat amazed that the pill was still in his hand and had not dissolved away by now. It still sat there; glimmering and every raindrop that hit its crystalline surface only seemed to make the small object glow even more radiantly.

Luigi felt the rain beat on him like lead drops as he fell to his knees once more, slamming his hands into the muddy ground as he lowered his head. An emotion coursed through him with such burning strength that it was almost foreign to him…jealousy.

Mario was always the hero; he always defeated the villain, rescued the woman and saved the day so everyone could once more rejoice in his efforts. It never bothered Luigi before actually; he enjoyed celebrating with his brother; however, now he found himself hating that fact. If Mario had not always saved the day than perhaps Daisy would never have fallen in love with Mario and would just love him and only him. He ignored how selfish that sounded; he thought it was not a lot to ask.

Then again, Luigi knew he could not bring himself to blame her for too long. Daisy was one of the first women that Mario saved; it was foolish to think that she did not harbor anything for him over the years. Daisy was just being true to herself and Luigi could never blame her for that; that did not ease his jealousy of his elder though and so it did not stop Luigi from feeling the pain from always just being one step behind his brother…being that forgettable sidekick.

'_Curse it…oh I just want to have strength and courage._' Luigi whined in his mind.

As if responding to his desire, he felt a raw, pure energy course through his body and that changed into strength to push himself back to his feet.

Fates had a different reason for him coming to a stand however, just as he brought himself to a stand the skies flashed in blinding light as natures purest form of energy shattered the dark skies; before Luigi could respond to the deafening roar of nature's fury he felt his body cease and lock up as pain burned through his very nerve and quickly transformed into paralyzing agony. Everything happened so quickly but yet seemed to last for an eternity. Luigi was flung backwards as he crashed back into the thick mud and felt his body sink into the dirt. The course of lightning raced through his body before sinking into the moist mud and disappearing…Luigi was motionless.

Luigi gave a sudden pained gasp as he slowly turned onto his side and coughed violently, every movement his body gave taught him a new lesion in agony as he shut his eyes painfully.

His heart raced when he realized what had happened; he had been struck by lightning and managed to live so he could tell the tale.

There was no more rain, no more lightning…no more storm. Luigi had been knocked unconscious the moment he was struck down by nature. Luigi painfully pulled himself out of the now solid dirt hole before he managed to roll himself over and rest on his back, breathing becoming a challenging task as his blue eyes opened to gaze up to the now clear skies.

"Just…need to rest…just…just…rest…" Luigi whispered in agony.

He knew he needed to take the next few moments to regain and compose him; to get his will and strength to return to him as well. His body flinched in pain that originated from the palm of his hand as he gave out a weak squeal while his fingers flared open and the star-shaped pill dropped from his hand. The moment the small object hit the ground, it gave out a frazzle of electricity. Luigi's head dropped to the side to look at the glimmering object, even as he watched it, it continued to surge out small sparks of energy.

'_Was I…saved by that?_' Luigi wondered, thinking that the object may have absorbed enough energy to spare Luigi's life from the massive forked strike from nature.

Luigi coughed out a mixture of a puff of black smoke and spittle of moist dirt that was caught deep in his throat. His body felt like King Bowser had sent the entire Koopa Troop to torture him over night that is how much agony racked through his body.

With a violent convulsion of his muscles, Luigi managed to roll to his side again as he pushed himself up slowly through trembling, spent muscles. Glancing over to the energy charged pill he grit his teeth together and snatched it from the ground. The pill crackled with raw energy still that burned Luigi's hand; instead of releasing the source of his pain, he only gripped it harder.

"Give…me…the strength…just a bit longer." Luigi grunted.

Luigi crawled along the ground slowly while keeping his hand closed in a tight grip. The pain in his hand somehow transferred into energy and from that energy came renewed his strength. Luigi found himself crawling at a faster pace and soon he even found himself pushing himself up to a stand again and he was now walking towards the path. He could tell that he was limping, but he was at least walking with a purpose and that was more then he would need for now. He ignored the smell of slightly burning flesh that was coming from the palm of his hand, the pill was burning him the longer he held it.

'_Mario…Daisy…Mario…Daisy…_' Luigi bitterly thought to himself; somehow thinking that over and over against was giving him all the resolve he needed.

Luigi managed to get to the path again before crashing down onto his right knee hard, the fabric tore almost instantly and pain shot up his leg for that moment; he ignored the pain. Luigi's head turned to look down the path, knowing where it led to…the house of the Mario Brothers.

-Later in the day-

Luigi shoved the door open with a pain gasp, flinging his arm in a limp manner as the pill was tossed across the room. Staggering into the house he turned around in a clumsy manner and slammed the door shut before losing his balance and stumbling across the floor and crashing onto the floorboards hard. Placing both his mud covered gloves over his eyes he gave a heavy groan while his thoughts tormented just a little more.

The thought of Daisy loving Mario so much and how much pain she must have experienced when Mario choose to be with Princess Peach and then deciding one day to settle for Mario's second-rate brother. For all he knew, she saw Mario when she looked at Luigi and that was just something he had to try and deal with. For all he knew, Mario and Daisy could have been something before Peach even came along, Luigi did not have the heart to stick around for that part of the confession and he did not have the courage to ask for fear of the answer he would get.

Luigi lifted his hands from his eyes as he opened them to look at his mud covered gloves; one thing stood out and that was the burn hole in his right glove as he blinked once and pulled his hand back enough for it to be lit by the natural light and revealed the deep burn in his hand…in the shape of a star-shaped object.

"Please be careful what you wish for…the more careful you are, the more close the benefits you reap shall become." Echoed a reminder inside Luigi's head.

Luigi rolled over to his stomach as he looked along the floor; spotting the pill given to him he crawled over and picked it up between his index and thumb, the pill surged once more as it made Luigi flinch in pain and drop the object back to the ground. Staring at the glimmering object, Luigi let out a light breath.

"Mix this in with something you drink and then think of what you want, if it is a missing part of you…then that part shall be returned." Echoed another reminded from Rosalina, his memories kicking in of their encounter.

With an exhausted grunt, Luigi pushed himself up to his feet. They felt like jelly that threatened to fold under his weight but he managed to stumble to the side and crash into the wooden desk that he used the night before. Breathing out once, Luigi looked down and then gave a slight smirk as he reached down to reclaim his cup he had dropped from the night before. Looking to the cup and then down to the ground at the supposed miracle pill he gave a confident nod to himself and walked clumsily towards the kitchen where he would mix together a special blend of tea…this cup with have the soothing taste of herbal sensations, three sugar with one drop of wish.

Luigi walked out of the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hand, he managed to walk over to the pill on the ground once more and kneeled over slowly. Grabbing the pill with his left hand he grunted once more as the pill continued to surge energy into his body, already burning through his glove as he quickly dropped it into the cup. The substance bubbled suddenly as electricity skittered along the top; it made Luigi hesitate for a moment as he swallowed hard.

Timidly, Luigi lifted the cup up towards his lips but then the suddenly crackle of energy snapping in the air made the green plumber lose his nerve as he lowered the cup. Luigi closed his eyes as he breathed out to calm himself.

'I wish…I had all the…the courage I would ever need,' Luigi thought to himself, breathing in deep. 'No matter the price.'

Luigi breathed out after reassuring himself that his wish would come true after thinking that as he lifted the cup up as quickly as possible and just placed it to his lips, drinking in deep while feeling the electricity burn through his lips and enter deep into his mouth; through the new wave of pain, Luigi painfully bared the agony as he drank in deep.

Coughing out after completing the cup he dropped it once more and felt his knees buckle under himself and he fell to the ground with a heavy thump. His body convulsed as the pill dissolved quickly inside his gut and each second the object crumbled a course of natures lightning burst deep inside and forked through the nerves of his body. It did not take long before the agony became too powerful and his world was claimed by blackness.

-An hour later, outside-

A Luku flew in wearing a mailman's hat hovered on his white cloud, reaching over to the side, the luku pushed the doorbell.

"What is it?"

"Message for Luigi!" the luku reported.

"Speak quickly then, my fine messenger." The voice replied from behind the door.

"Message is from your brother Mario! He hopes you are fine and you made it back home safely. Mario stayed at the Mushroom Kingdom and wished for a response from you if you would be able to attend the tournament match you and your brother have against Wario and Waluigi. What shall I say, sir?" the luku spoke while peacefully floating on his cloud.

"Hmhmhm, a match you say? Now that sounds quite exciting."

"Yes sir, the Tennis tournament match to become the Mushroom Kingdom champions. It is round one of your matches." Luku reported now shuffling through his other mail.

"Well then my fine sir, you can report that I would not miss it for anything at all. I am actually looking forward to such a battle of reflexes."

"Uh…sure thing." Luku replied, arching an eyebrow at how Luigi was speaking. "You have yourself a good day."

The Luku turned and floated off to continue his route.

Inside the house of the Mario Brothers, Luigi stood in front of a mirror as he raised his hands to lightly tug on the black mask that covered over the top of his face. Giving a sly smirk, the man slowly stood up as he adjusted his green handkerchief.

"Oh…I shall be sure to have a wonderful day." Mr. L whispered to himself in a self-amused manner.


	7. You have Lost

You have L-ost

Daisy sat in the locker room where the Mario Brothers would be before their big match, now that the toads were done mopping up the tennis court and drying it down. It would be any moment now that they would return and she knew she had to speak with Luigi; she felt so awful for how he took everything and he left even before she had a chance to tell him how she felt about him now.

The door opened as Daisy felt her heart thump in her chest as she stood up from her bench and faced the door. Her heart fell again when she saw that it was only Mario that came into the locker room.

"Daisy?" Mario blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"No Mario, nothing is right at the moment. Everything is just a mess right now." Daisy sighed as she sat back down.

"What's wrong, Daisy?" Mario wondered.

"Sorry Mario but no," Daisy shrugged once in a casual manner. "This is something that I need to clear up with Luigi." She confessed, glancing over at Mario.

"Are you sure?" Mario asked while leaning onto his tennis racket.

"Yes, I'm sure…don't question me mister." Daisy managed to scold as she narrowed her eyes.

"Alright alright!" Mario submitted, not wanting to provoke the Sarasaland princess. "Would it be best if I just left so you and Luigi can talk?" Mario asked.

"Probably be for the best." Daisy confessed.

"Oh…ok." Mario responded; his tone gave away that he did not expect that answer.

Daisy fiddled with her fingers alone in the room, she had lost track of time before she heard the door open again. Her head jerked to the side as she stood to her feet again, the sight she saw however shocked and confused her.

"L…Luigi?" Daisy blinked in surprise.

The figure that entered the room was dressed in all black, green handkerchief tied around his neck and seemed to be attached to a single shoulder sash that draped down the right side of his body, yellow buttons on his black jumpsuit that matched with the yellow belt, dressed in fine black dress shoes, grey gloves while wearing a more signature green hat, stitched on was a green reverse L with a black background to the L when it was originally white and finally his appearance was complete with a black bandit mask over the top half of his face.

"Hmm?" the man responded when being called Luigi. Daisy could not follow where his eyes were looking; the mask had somehow turned his eyes white. "Oh, my my, I am not sure what I have done to be graced with the stunning beauty from the desert gem from Sarasaland…but I shall not be one to question it. To what do I owe such pleasures as to be granted an audience with one such you, my lovely princess?" Mr. L smirked in greeting; he walked over to the princess and boldly took her hand in his, lifting her hand to his lips as he gave her a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"I…uh…" Daisy blinked in surprise, first becoming lost in his words and then stuck silent by the feel of his lips on her hands, even though her hands were gloved, the material she always wore were thin. "Luigi, what has—" Daisy started but found herself stunned to silence again as the man placed his index finger gently on her lips to shush her.

"Let us not start any confusion, my desert gem, please call me Mr. L." the green thunder spoke in a soft, diplomatic tone.

"Mr. L?" Daisy spoke softly while her lips were pursed by his index finger.

Mr. L gave a nod as he smirked in response and lowered his index finger from her plush lips.

"Are you feeling alright?" Daisy arched an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Oh I assure you, my desert gem, that I am having quite the fine day. There is not a time yet which I haven't felt better." Mr. L spoke in a sly tone.

Daisy narrowed her eyes for a moment, taking a few seconds to filter in what the man was saying. Her eyes traveled down his body to examine his attire once more and then looked back to his pitch-white eyes.

"Look…I don't know what sort of game you are playing here…but I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday…I'm so sorry if I caused you—" Daisy was trying to speak in confession.

"Shh shh, look at me, young beauty." Mr. L insisted, noticing the woman's green eyes fall towards the floor while she spoke. His comment actually made her look at him with widened eyes; she had never heard him insist on looking at him…it was always the other way around. "There we go…the deserts may run dry, my sand gem, but the green beauty of an oasis reflects in your eyes and it is such a shame to turn them towards the ground. Whatever hardships you speak of what happened between us I can assure you I would be more than willing to correct after the match I have." Mr. L grinned as he gave a tilt to his head.

"What?" Daisy spoke softly, lost in the man.

Mr. L leaned in close, sliding his fingers through the Princess's silken, brown locks and lifting it casually to his nose and gave it a subtle smell before leaning close to Daisy. His sudden closeness and assertiveness made Daisy's heart pound in her chest as she felt herself being claimed in the aura of the man's confidence. The moment she felt him smell her hair, a shiver ran down her spine as she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Do me the pleasure of being here after I return victorious. No victory would be complete without the presence of one as strikingly lovely as you." Mr. L whispered while being so close to her, staring deep into her eyes.

"I…" Daisy started; however, she felt something deep inside that she had not felt in a long time, the tingling sensation of excitement as she felt her breath capture in his throat.

"Hmm…I can see that the desert gem that should be admired like the purest of diamonds can actually turn into the fiery beauty of a ruby." Mr. L noted as he caressed her crimson blushing cheek. "You silent answer speaks louder than any words." Mr. L chuckled softly, leaning slightly closer to whisper into her ear. "Then let it be so…I shall handle these specks of dust in my next match and then—" Mr. L voiced while stepping away from Daisy, walking backwards as he extended his arms wide as if to show himself off for the princess. "We celebrate." The man finished as he gave the woman a flattering wink and then turning around to walk towards door; Luigi pulled free a baton from his belt and pushed a button as the netting for the tennis racket expanded out.

Daisy swallowed hard as she slowly reached up to gently pull at the collar of her yellow dress; it had been ages since she felt that degree of heat source through her body. If she did not know any better, she would say that she was coming down with desert fever.

"What…was…that?" Daisy felt herself struggling to say; whatever it was though, it made her feel like a helpless woman, victim to how he spoke, moved, to how he touched against her.

Mr. L walked through the hallways before he heard the name again that people seemed to call him…a name that was already starting to annoy him.

"Luigi?" Mario's confused tone spoke.

Gritting his teeth for a moment, Mr. L turned around and sure enough he saw that man that had irritated him so long ago. It was the man who kept foiling Count Bleck's plans and always managed to defeat Mr. L every time they had an encounter.

"Mr. Jumpsalot," Mr. L subtly growled out while managing to keep a calm tone.

"What…are you doing dressed like that?" Mario blinked in surprise, stepping closer to Luigi.

"Why wouldn't I dress this way?" Mr. L chuckled as he stepped up to close the distance. "How did you think I would dress?" Mr. L looked over Mario's classic overalls with his matching red shirt. "In such peasantry attires like…well…" Mr. L gestured towards Mario's attire. "Certain individuals." He completed with a side glance and a shrug.

"What the hell is up with you, bro?" Mario frowned.

"Bro? Hardly." Mr. L chuckled in an attempt to hide the deep insult he took to that title. "Alright, Mr. Jumppingred, I can carry some weight…come, we have a classic battle of reflexes to attend. I could use this moment to warm-up." Mr. L grinned as he gave Mario a pat on his shoulder; Mr. L however was quick to realize the mistake he did in patting Mario's shoulder as he loved to his glove and then casually rubbed it on his pant leg.

"Warm-up? For what?" Mario blinked; his expression showed that he was still trying to grasp the situation that was unfolding before him.

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Mr. L shrugged as he turned around and started to walk towards the tennis court. "Yet." He completed in a whisper.

Both Mario and Mr. L walked out to the cheering crowd as the Mario Brothers are introduced, much to the irritation of Mr. L for being linked to such a man.

Mr. L stood on the court as he looked over to see the faces of Wario and Waluigi, the both of them started to walk towards the edge of the netting. Mr. L decided perhaps to humor them by walking to the netting to meet with Waluigi, not even glancing to the side to note that Mario was having his own stare down with Wario.

"I can understand why you show an aggression towards me, Mr. Tallandlanky," Mr. L grinned as he placed his hand against the netting to lean against it. "I would envy me too if I were you." Mr. L chuckled with amusement, causing the man to give a provoked growl.

"Now you listen here," Waluigi growled, grabbing Mr. L by the hand that he used to lean against the netting. Waluigi pulled his arm up as he stared into Mr. L's face with a snarl.

Mr. L narrowed his own eyes when he felt Waluigi grab him; his eyes glanced to the bent knees of Waluigi as he kicked his foot into the netting which hit against the lanky arch-villains knee while yanking hard on his arm. This knocked the man off balance as he tripped forward and landed on the netting. Mr. L caught Waluigi's hat as he used it to dry his own hands and then rub his wrist as if he were rubbing off a taint before tossing the purple hat over the netting to recovering man.

"The next time you consider touching me again…reflect on what happened here and learn from it." Mr. L smirked as he walked over his spot on the court.

Mr. L glanced to the side to see Princess Peach sitting on the sidelines, her expression showed her surprise openly. Mr. L however found it to be a mixture of bitter sweet to see the lovely pink dove again. Remembering how a mere princess managed to beat one of his Brobots and yet finding the sweetness in knowing that her adorable blue eyes were on him.

"I can see I am doubly blessed this eve," Mr. L started as he walked towards the fine princess. He closed the distance and kept his white eyes on hers, not that she would be able to tell. "Speechless I see, it is supposed to be my role to be stunned to silence while in the presence of beauty." Mr. L pleasantly joked as he gave the woman a wink. "I shall take your silence as the best of compliments, my lovely sweet." Mr. L chuckled before turning around to rejoin the tennis courts; he ignored the observing and confused stare he was being given by Mario.

The match was hard fought by both sides as it came down to one more serve, the match point that the Mario Bros would need to attain victory. They had come to match point twice already and been robbed of their rightful victory. Mr. L was relieved to know he was the one at the serve for this match point, he felt that Mario had cramped his style enough…he would end it here and now.

Giving a sly grin, Mr. L gripped the tennis ball as he looked over to his opponent; Waluigi awaited him on the other side of the court. Mr. L traced his fingers along the surface of the tennis ball, electricity started to course along its surface. Twisting his grip on the racket, Mr. L let out one casual chuckle before tossing the ball into the air and then slamming it hard with the racket; the moment the racket hit the tennis ball caused the air to break in a thunderous bang as the tennis ball erupted to life and became a comet of lightning. The moment the tennis ball hit the ground on the other side of the net, the lightning left the tennis ball and sank into the ground only to have the lightning snake over and claim the feet of both Waluigi and Wario as they both screamed loud while the lightning slithered into their bodies, paralyzing them. The tennis ball continued to soar through the air after its bounce until it smacked Waluigi in the face and threw the man off his feet as he crashed to the ground.

That was the match point.

The stadium came to life with cheers; Mr. L only gave a casual nod as if he expected nothing less than to win. Glancing to the staring gaze of Mario he let out a scoff and turned around to start his walk off the tennis court.

"Luigi!" Mario called out; once more that tingle of irritation ran down his spine.

"Speak quickly and waste little time, Mr. Jumpsaroundalot." Mr. L sighed out, glancing over his shoulder.

"What was that just now?" Mario demanded, noting how underhanded that point was.

"It's called…winning." Mr. L smirked.

"What has gotten into you?" Mario demanded as he walked up closer to Mr. L. "You can start by answering why you are acting this way and dressed like that."

"I have to answer? To whom?" Mr. L laughed out as he turned around to face the bewildered Mario. "You? Hardly…" he confronted, his eyes glanced over to notice that Princess Peach was walking over as well. "Take note, Mr. Shortbutjumpy, I answer to nothing less than true beauty…not to the likes of you." Mr. L confirmed as he gave a polite head bow to Princess Peach while tipping his hat to the pink beauty. "L-ater."

Before Mario could even respond, Mr. L turned around and walked off and sure enough Mario could not chase after him yet. Just as Mr. L had predicted, Princess Peach walked over to congratulate him on his victory and thus giving Mr. L his opening for escape from the nuisance that was Mario.

Besides, he had a very lovely desert gem waiting for his return and it would be unspeakably rude to keep her waiting.


	8. Lost in the moment

Note: After my long absence I have become determined to write another chapter and this one I am actually dedicating to one of my recovering friends. She just came from surgery and she has commented recently that this story was one of her top favorites. So for her and wishing her a speedy recovery, Houki…this chapter is for you.

Lost in the moment, brought back by chance

That victory would have come a lot sooner over his two advisories had the one in red not slowed him down during the tennis match earlier. At least that is what Mr. L believed as he walked through the hallways with a sly smirk on his face, tossing one arm to the side to realign the cape that draped down his back as he eyed the locker room to which his true prize was waiting.

Mr. L walked into the room as he saw before him a more perfect sight than he had ever though possible as the lovely desert gem sat in the exact same spot that he had left her but now she had been looking towards the window, the beams of sunlight managing to bring her lovely green eyes to a brilliant and beautiful sparkle…the sun did not seem to strain her eyes. Naturally, she was the princess of the desert and Mr. L should not expect anything less.

"I made myself a promise…to not keep such a perfect mirage waiting…least I suffer the heartbreak of such an image to leave my sights and not know when such would return." Mr. L whispered in a dark manner as he placed both his hands on the shoulders of the princess, actually feeling her jump from her startled nerves under his touch as her head whipped around to look towards Mr. L with wide eyes.

"Geez, Luigi…you scared me half to death." Daisy called out as she placed a hand to her chest as if it would still her beating heart. The fight from her eyes vanished in seconds as she stared into Mr. L's eyes and she even held her breath for a second.

"Only half to death, then you have not completely left me…allow me to bring you back to life, my dear sand gem." Mr. L grinned as he lifted a hand to her chin, cupping it under his curled index finger as he leaned in ever so slightly.

Daisy could not explain what was happening to her, it was like Luigi had suddenly gained such a domineering presence about him that not only demanded that those around him submit to him but commanded it and such a powerful energy was actually swooning Daisy's senses and robbing her of her ability to fight against his words…worse yet, she found herself in conflict as a part of her mind pleaded for Luigi to not tease her so and just reward her obedient silence.

The warmth…burned her lips with an invisible fire as Luigi touched his lips to hers and she was allowed to experience what she thought she would never be able to; Luigi taking control of everything and leading the way. By whatever gods there might be she found her lips throbbing under the intensity that the dark clothed man pushed onto her senses. Whatever these clothes did to the mindset of Luigi she had to remember this and maybe even get him to bring it back every once in awhile…the man had a way of making even a second last for eternity as her body tensed for a moment under his claiming kiss against her soft lips.

Every nerve tingled in her body, startling from her lips and tickling down her spine to arc out into the farthest corners of her vessel. 1000 days and nights in the lands of her kingdom would never capture the heat he was pushing onto her with a single kiss.

The parting of their lip lock proved to be more torturous than waiting the second he delayed to actually kiss her as her eyes slowly opened to look into the smirking expression of her lover…it was a perfect blend to her, a very complicated yet well thought out mixture of a sinister aura, confidence, and command was what his one smirk could be described as. The room around her spun for one moment as she brought her hand up to her head to steady the world and try to regain control once more, a light misting of sweat had actually coated the surface of her forehead…the man had made her anticipate so much in such a short time that her body reacted in such a manner it never had…no man had ever been so bold…yet so confident in their steps.

"Come…let us go elsewhere…let us be alone." Mr. L's hypotonic voice echoed in her mind and she found herself unable to resistant…his voice woke one of the most primal urges in her mind that not only was curious what was to come but wanted it all the more as she raised a hand, her mind silently pleading for him to take it and carry her away to where they could be alone.

Mr. L's smirk turned into a sly grin as he gently took her hand, tipping his hand to her with the free hand while pulling her slowly to her feet and slowly he guided her towards the door…the exit…no…the entrance way to where ever Mr. L would take her, to the place they could be alone…a place Daisy wanted to be right now more than anything in all the kingdoms.

"Mr. L!" thundered a voice that made the man of dark clothing snap his head forward and the moment his eyes broke their lock on Daisy's green eyes she found herself wanting to have them back as her head whirled for a moment and all the anticipation turned to irritation as she looked towards the voice that was intruding on their moment.

"Mario?" Daisy blinked while her tone maintained a grip of annoyance.

"Ah…Mr. Jumppingred…what an untimely entrance you have made, no tact at all…I see some people do not change." Mr. L chuckled as he placed a hand to his forehead while his eyes came to a close while he shook his head for a moment. "If you do not mind…you are intruding on what was to be a lovely evening; take offense or none at all, I do not care, but this evening does not involve you." Mr. L casually spoke out while he adjusted his finely pressed green cap.

"Daisy…get away from him!" Peach suddenly called out from behind Mario.

"You too, my fair princess? Such a shame, if one would be silent for just a moment you could swear that you hear my heart break just ever so slightly." Mr. L snickered before glancing over his shoulder towards Daisy. "Is this to be the part where we must bid each other farewell?"

"What? No." Daisy defensively spoke out before looking to Mario and Peach with a confused yet irritated glare. "Why are you two acting this way?"

"I think the safer question is: why is Luigi acting this way." Mario called out which made Daisy think for a moment before looking towards Luigi.

"Daisy…you were not there for it but this is not the Luigi you know, Luigi was once brainwashed by an evil creature and turned into this Mr. L." Peach tried to explain.

"Heh, Count Bleck was but a fool who thought to control one as great as I…but now that Count Bleck is nothing in our existence I am free to do as I wish." Mr. L grinned while his eyes narrowed from behind the black mask he wore over his eyes, giving Mario a challenging glance.

"You're…not working for Count Bleck anymore?" Peach blinked once in surprise.

"Then who are you working for now?" Mario demanded, keeping his guard up.

"Heh heh heh," Mr. L cackled while raising a hand to adjust his already perfectly aligned hat. "And who said I was working for anyone? I am…Mr. L, gone rogue." Mr. L grinned as he raised a hand up above his head, pointing towards the skies with his index finger. "Oh…I quite like the sound of that…gone rogue, has a devilish charm to it…don't you think?" Mr. L casually commented as his eyes lowered from the ceiling towards his intruders.

"Gone…rogue?" Peach blinked once before looking to Mario.

"Now…I would humbly ask the lovely beauty in the pink dress to please step away from Mr. Jumpsalot." Mr. L gestured politely with his hand as he gave Peach a gentlemanly bow of his head which surprised the princess.

"W-why?" Peach asked softly.

Mr. L could tell that Mario was on the defensive and trying to make sense of everything that was happening, if Mr. L had to guess anything, then he would think that Mario was trying to make sense of why and how Mr. L was here if Count Bleck had not summoned him…something that Mr. L thought of for a moment but also did not give it too much thought, beyond what it was worth.

"I shall not keep you waiting, my beautiful sand gem." Mr. L whispered in a soft yet dark manner as he half turned and guided her away from him as if he were trying to protect her from the two intruding figures that happened to be her closest friends. She was going to rebel against his gesture but his commanding energy somehow had a way of robbing her of her will to fight his words. "Wait until the diamonds of the nights shine their brightest and I shall come to thee." Mr. L grinned.

Mario knew the mind type that Mr. L was and he was trying to escort the ladies from the area in case the meeting took on a more physical escalation. Mario looked over his shoulder towards Peach, the bewildered Peach, and gave a confirming nod of his head to follow what Mr. L suggested as Peach held her breath for a moment, looked between Mario and Mr. L and slowly turned around to clear the area. Mr. L was not going to get anywhere; Mario was blocking the only exit.

"How you do like to interfere in my plans." Mr. L commented while his head was still turned towards Daisy, not looking at Mario yet. "At first I found such to be a little cute in the stereotypical hero's way…then it became quite annoying to me that you managed to best some of my best creations." Mr. L casually commented while his head turned slightly to look towards the ceiling. "But then I remind myself…the one you bested a Mr. L with a mind clouded…mudded over by the brainwashing of Count Bleck…that is the only explanation possible for my past failures, clearly there is no way you could beat me at my best, Mr. Redjumpper." Mr. L suddenly turned his head to stare intently at Mario as lightning started to surge around the body of Mr. L, making Mario tense for a moment as his eyes only narrowed even more. "I have quite a few past embarrassments to make up for…and I shall be starting with you…" Mr. L's taunting voice took on a sterner, serious, battle ready tone as the room flickered to life under the flashes of lightning that had consumed Mr. L's body.

"What happened to you, Luigi…what brought this back?" Mario tried to reason with his younger brother as he calmed his tense nerves and took a step forward, a bold move considering that lightning was arcing in and out of the mans body.

"Not a matter of what…I would say who." Mr. L arched one eyebrow before lifting a hand to look at the lightning spidering along the surface of his glove.

"What?" Mario blinked once, watching his brother observe the lightning like he was actually creeping Mario out, like he was dealing with a man on the last peg of his sanity.

"They shall never…take another drop of blood from me." Mr. L whispered to himself before his eyes became consumed in a split second with an ice cold determination. "Have at you!" Mr. L proclaimed before pushed his palm forward as the lightning crackled in the air, snapping to life before the arcs lashed out towards Mario.

The attack was instant but the reaction from Mario was impressive even to Mr. L as Mario swooped his hand in front of him and a flash of red fire exploded from his hand, acting like a wall of fire for the lightning to impact but not penetrate.

"New tactics, Mr. Redjumpper…good, I thought this battle would be far too boring had you not learned anything since our last encounter." Mr. L gleefully cooed.

"We don't have to fight!" Mario tried to reason with his former younger brother.

"Oh…how wrong you are." Mr. L responded while leaping forward, closing the distance. Mr. L swiped his arm in front of him, cutting through the flames of one of Mario's fireballs that had been hurled at him to try and stop his advance. Mr. L landed in front of the one in red and dropped to one knee to swipe in a tripping kick but his attack got nothing but air as Mario jumped up and over Mr. L. "Heh…like before, you are surprisingly quick for your proportions." Mr. L commented while his head lifted, watching Mario's every movement with his eyes as Mr. L spun back to his feet to turn completely around to where Mario was going to land. "But not nearly quickly enough." Mr. L grinned as he shoved his hand forward into a palm strike, hitting Mario in the chest as the lightning passed through Mr. L's palm and burned every nerve they touched inside Mario's body. Mr. L watched as the muscles in Mario's body became stiff, locked under the pain of lightning as his body twitched and danced to the power of Mr. L's attack. Mario was not even allowed to release an anguished scream, his mouth opened but that only allowed for Mr. L's lightning to slither into Mario's body.

Focusing for one single moment, the lightning pooled into Mr. L's palm, constructing a small orb of lightning that snapped to life before flashing a bright radiance and exploding, sending the red jumper hurling towards the wall.

Mr. L gave out a gleeful laughter as he waved his hands in front of him, allowing the lightning to chase after his hand like a playful game of tag. "Just as I thought…you were always inferior to the like of myself…Count Bleck just held me back and it is obvious as to the why…he, like everyone should, feared me and feared what I would be capable of." Mr. L snapped his fingers as the lightning fizzled out and Mr. L only shook his head in dismay at what he thought was supposed to be a challenging fight before looking to the side to see the bewildered Daisy just staring at him in disbelief.

"Have I startled you? I am very sorry for all this needless excitement." Mr. L reassured, regaining his dark, haunting, whisper-like tone. "Come then…allow us to leave here and find a place of peace to which to calm your nerves." Mr. L smiled as he extended his hand.

Daisy took a step back for a moment as if trying to fight the power that Mr. L had over to entice, enthrall and capture her as she swallowed hard for one moment before looking from Mr. L's eyes to glancing over his shoulder. "Luigi! Watch out!" Daisy suddenly called out.

"Hm?" Mr. L blinked as he glanced over his shoulder, only to see that his sights were now being dominated by the flashes of red and orange. "Urg!" Mr. L proclaimed as the fire blast hit his back with full force, making Mr. L drop to one knee as his teeth pressed together, enduring the burning agony that the attack brought to life in his body. "Heh…" Mr. L suddenly grinned as if a realization washed through his mind and he suddenly gave into a mad cackle while standing back to his feet. "Good…good…pain, and here I thought this all could not have been real…but it is, I feel pain…and pain is real, this is excellent." Mr. L laughed out as he turned around to face Mario, who was not charged from shoulder to fingertips in his fire. In the flash of a second, lightning consumed Mr. L's body as the gentlemanly thief breathed out once as if calming himself before shooting a glare towards Mario.

It did not take long for the room to be consumed in blasts of fire and flashes of lightning, every punch that Mr. L threw met the forearm of Mario or caught nothing but air as fire and lightning blended together in their deadly dance for control. Mario managed to grab Mr. L by both of his arms and Mario jumped up as high as the ceiling would let him as he spun around once and tossed Mr. L to the ground, his body hitting the unforgiving surface once and even bouncing off the ground to roll off to the side before Mr. L could recover and roll to a kneel. Mario dove down at his younger brother with one hand in front of him as the fire swirled around the surface. Mr. L rolled forward with such speed and recovery that one would not think he felt anything from being tossed so violently to the ground. Before Mario could react physically, his eyes were forced to watch the speed of Mr. L while the man rolled forward, then jumped into the air and the next thing Mario felt were two fists slamming into Mario's gut as Mario coughed out breathlessly and felt his body slam into the ceiling as Mr. L shoved his hands as deep into his adversaries gut as possible and let the two of them drop to the ground before Mr. L turned Mario over in mid-air so Mario was the one to slam onto the ground with Mr. L's hands around the jumping heroes throat.

"You never could…and never shall beat me." Mr. L growled while he focused all his will into his lightning, paralyzing Mario in waves of agony as Mario's body convulsed violently under the hands of Mr. L and the lightning serves the purpose Mr. L wanted, cease every muscle and nerve in his body while Mr. L choked the life out of his enemy. "Now…Mr. Jumpsalot…you die." Mr. L gravely spoke out as his fingers tightened around his throat, the lightning only crackled louder, reaching a deafening degree as the energy filled the room, providing a prison for the hero in red to die in…a prison that Mr. L made just for him.

"Luigi! Stop it!" Mr. L suddenly heard the pleas from a terrified, desperate princess call out as he suddenly felt slender hands place themselves on his shoulders and gently pull at Mr. L, trying to get him to spare the man with the shortening life span.

The woman had to be a complete fool to step into the room, the prison of lightning had to be causing her intense agony and she was braving it to try and get him to spare his pray. Mr. L pushed that thought to the side as his eyes focused on the agony that Mario was going through and what pleasure such a sight was giving him. The man who had thwarted his plans and his bots and had been the cause of such humiliation and grief, Mr. L was going to make sure that his death would be as slow as possible while being filled with so much agony that the story of Mr. Jumpingred's demise will strike fear into anyone who would ever dare considering going up against him.

"Luigi! You can't do this…you can't kill your own brother! You're going to kill Daisy too if you don't stop…and…me." The voice pleaded as Mr. L felt the strength of the woman slowly leave her body as her body started to press against his back as she fought the pull of unconsciousness. The cage of lightning that had claimed this room was wrecking havoc on all except the prison master…the prison master being Mr. L.

Mr. L blinked once when he felt dead weight against him as her words finally reached the depths of his mind and he shook his head once. "Daisy too?" Mr. L arched an eyebrow before he looked a head of him to see Daisy laying on the floor, he had escorted her off to the side of the room for the soul reason of not having her beauty being caught in the ugly flames of battle and now she was being claimed by his lightning as he watched it pass into her body and surge right back out. Blonde strands of hair hung down his shoulders as the mild, yet awakening scent of peaches filled his nostrils and his eyes looked to the side to see Princess Peach slumped over his back, she had been trying to pull him off and the lightning had claimed her as well. The lightning that surged through his body fizzled out instantly as the cage of lightning vanished into nothing but cracking sounds that slowly faded. Mr. L tried to move but felt the dead weight of Princess Peach slowly start to fall to the side towards the ground. Mr. L released Mario's throat instantly as he heard Mario gasp out in agony and cough in violent heaves as Mr. L twisted his body just in time to catch Peach before she hit the ground and Mr. L carefully lowered her onto the ground as he tried to put her down in the most peaceful position possible, brushing aside a few stray hairs from her creamy face. The scent of peaches had somehow snapped him from his moment of insanity and he did not even know why as he looked down at the peaceful expression of the princess, knowing that behind that expression was a woman who had suffered a great deal before passing out all thanks to him…and Daisy, his desert gem, had passed out who knows how long ago.

Mr. L brushed the last few blonde strands of hair away before standing to his feet, glancing down at the recovering Mario with a slight sneer before walking across the locker room and then kneeling down before the unconscious Daisy as he shifted her body as carefully as possible, she had not fallen in the most comfortable of positions and although there was nothing he could do about the pain that he had caused her, there was something he could do about her comfort, he would never be able to see himself as anything but a worthless cad if he did not at least do what he could as he placed her in the same peaceful position as he did with Princess Peach, leaning over to whisper darkly into her ear.

"I had no intention of harming beauty during my battles, it shall be too much to ask of you but I do hope both of you find some means of forgiving me…I shall be sure to make amends." Mr. L whispered before gingerly brushing the brown locks of Daisy's hair away from her face.

Mario's vision blurred as he recovered, the only thing he was capable of comprehending at the moment was that he was coughing and each cough felt like it was tearing the flesh of his throat while he pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"Luigi!" Mario suddenly called out as his senses came back and his eyes darted around the room to see none but the Princess's around him.

"Fortune favors you on this day, Mr. Jumpsaroundalot." A voice called out, catching Mario's attention as his eyes darted towards the source.

Mr. L was standing against the window, high up in the room as the run created nothing but a silhouette of Mr. L, he was leaning against the window ledge with his arms crossed, looking down at Mario as Mr. L raised a hand to his hat, placing his index and middle finger to his rim before waving off the sign of his departure.

"Enjoy your blessing whilst they last…L-ater!"

Mr. L pressed his hand to the window as he pushed it open and jumped out to disappear from sight as Mario blinked once and felt his hand tense into a tight ball as his muscles trembled in anger.


End file.
